Four Corners
by samcedeswannabe
Summary: Fierce Talented and Top of the Line. That's how many would describe the Jones sisters. Zorella, Ameena, Nuriyah and Mercedes are known for having it all together, but what happens to the four sisters and the men who hold their hearts when the ties that bind are cut? This group shall soon find out. Loving a Jones is anything but easy.
1. Welcome to the Family

_Disclaimer: We do not own Glee, nor are we affiliated with it in any way._

_This is a Samcedes fanfiction, which has been collaborated between theperfectinsanity and samcedeswannabe. However, it is not a samcedes centred story, so if that is not your preference, we could only encourage you to give it a chance, but we understand if you decide that this story isn't for you. Please enjoy, comment, and review when you have the time. Thank you._

_-theperfectinsanity and samcedeswannabe_

_Characters and their face claims: _

**_Zorella (Zore) Jones_**- Nia Long, **_Ameena (Meena) Jones_**- Gabrielle Union, **_Nuriyah (Nuri) Jones_**- Sanaa Lathan, **_Mercedes (Mercy/Cedes) Jones_**- Amber Riley, _**Dwayne - **Dwayne Johnson, __**Jung (Jay)-**Jung Ji Hoon, __**Aquae (Quae)-**Idris Elba, __**Sam Evans- **Chord Overstreet_

_Tumblr: Tagged as **Four corners story** and to see Mercedes' photo album check out **Four corners Album**_

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_**Chapter 1: Welcome to the Family**_

Thirteen year old Zorella Jones smoothed down her short flat ironed hair and gazed at the lean, pimple faced boy sitting to the right of her in math class. Kevin Malcolm was his name, and he was looking cute with his fade haircut and his name etched along the side of his head. She could see that he was absentmindedly picking at a cuticle on his left hand, a nervous habit that Zorella had noticed the boy demonstrate frequently when he didn't understand something. Sighing, she doodled Zorella 'Baby face' Malcolm all over her math binder. Suddenly, a note flopped on to her desk and she looked around to see her best friend Nakeisha twitching her eye at her, their signal for when Kevin looked Zorella's way. The young teen slowly opened the note and looked up occasionally to make sure that their teacher, 'Bald eagle Williams' was focused on her_Jet _magazine at the front of the class. She peeled it back to read Nakeisha's messy chicken scratch: **_Fade-in has been looking at you for 5.8 seconds girl, he is so cute. Ya'll are gonna have babies._****_I better be aunty Keisha!_**A snort of laughter escaped Zorella's nose as she read and re-read the note. Babies were the last thing on her mind. She was more determined to get her first training brassiere more than anything else.

She looked back at Kevin from the corner of her eye to see him shyly looking back at her and then watched as his gaze fell back to his math book. If the eldest Jones child knew what an aneurysm was, she would have claimed that she was having one right then and there. Excitedly, she looked back at Nakeisha who was cackling behind her hand and pointing at the two teens before proceeding to make a heart shape with her fingers. Zorella rolled her eyes and bit her lip, as she willed herself to take the risk and look back at Kevin. When she finally mustered up the courage to do it, the final dismissal bell of the day rang, signalling for all of the students to head on home. Cursing under her breath, she grabbed her things in a rush to go and pick up her younger sisters from their classes. In her hurry, she dropped her pencil case to the ground and watched as the contents spilled everywhere. "Seriously?!" She growled before she dropped to her knees and tried to avoid being trampled to death by the eager teens heading out of the classroom. She bumped hands against someone else's as she reached for her favourite pencil. Zorella quickly looked up to see Kevin, bent on one knee, handing her back her pencil with a smile. _This is it, this is the moment he will ask me out, play it cool, say something cute like nice fade in Kevin, you have a really nice skull….You have a really nice skull? Who says that?_ "Uh, Zorella?" She looked up to see Kevin staring at her like she was crazy, "I have to catch my bus, but here's your pencil." A squeak like sound escaped her lips and she took the pencil from his hand. He smiled and ran out of the room, leaving Zorella behind to replay the horrific events in her mind.

She slowly made her way to her eleven year old sister Ameena's class, which was inconveniently located on the other side of the school. Ameena donned her bottle cap glasses and leaned against the wall as she read her Nancy Drew novel. Zorella walked right up to her, but the younger sister didn't even realise that she was there. She was about to pull on Ameena's braid when the younger girl turned her head quickly and smiled. "Hey Zore! Did you talk to you know who today?" She asked excitedly as she stuffed her book into her back pack, zipped it up, and pulled the straps over her shoulders. Zorella sighed and nodded slowly. "Uh oh, that doesn't sound too good. Did you have a boogie in your nose or like something in your teeth?" Ameena asked cautiously. Out of the three sisters, she was the most caring and empathetic one. Zorella could remember when she had fallen and cut her knee open on the pavement the summer before. Ameena was right there taking care of her and instructing their younger sister on what she needed to get from the house, and in no time, the middle sister had patched up the cut knee.

"Nah, nothing like that. I just…I just froze up Meena. He was right there and I froze up like a popsicle." Ameena pat her older sisters back and gave her shoulder a squeeze. They turned and walked down the hallway to head to their little sisters classroom.

"That's okay. You know, it's better than having something stuck in your teeth." Zorella sighed and nodded. Ameena and Nakeisha were the only ones who knew about Kevin and Zorella intended on keeping it that way. The two sisters weren't exactly the closest, but they knew they had each other whenever something went wrong. They neared the grade two classroom and heard their baby sister before they even saw her. Zorella rolled her eyes and Ameena broke out into a wide smile as she walked inside the colourfully lit room. Nuriyah, their seven year old sister sat in the corner facing the wall.

"I wouldn't have punched him if he had given me that crayon like I asked him for TEN TIMES!" The youngest Jones yelled out from her corner.

"Nuriyah, you know what my rules are about punching, kicking, and in your case biting." Mrs. Montgomery shook her head and smiled as the two other Jones siblings entered the class. "Hi girls, please give this letter to your parents for me. They can also expect a call this evening." Ameena nodded and took the letter from the teacher.

"What she in for today?" Zorella eyed her sister who sat grumpily by herself, mumbling words here and there.

"Oh the usual, she punched a boy named Ryan today before the bell rang." The teacher sighed. "I had so much hope that today would be a good day for her….but nope, punch right in the cheek and a crying grade two." Ameena walked over to Nuriyah and looked at her.

"Did you get him good?" She whispered beside her ear. Nuriyah smiled and nodded.

"Heck ya I did. He cried like a lil baby." The sisters shared a warm smile.

Zorella cleared her throat. "Well Nuri, you don't need me to tell you that you're going to get it when you get home. Mama is going to get you with a slipper." Nuriyah stood up and rolled her eyes.

"You're right, I don't need you to tell me nothin'." She stuck out her tongue and grabbed her backpack. "So hush." Zorella's eyes narrowed with annoyance. "Don't you touch me Cruela! Or mama will beat you too!" She squealed as she ran out of the classroom. Ameena watched Zorella count to three before she bolted out of the classroom behind their little sister, more than likely to pinch her or flick her ear.

"Um…" Ameena paused and looked at the teacher. "I'll make sure that they get the note Mrs. Montgomery. Have a good day!" She smiled brightly and walked out of the classroom, leaving the teacher to shake her head and laugh at the spectacle she had witnessed.

—-

The three Jones sisters sat in the living room working on their homework before supper. Nuriyah looked up from her homework, "Meena, if I say, I bounced the ball high, is high, H-I?" She tapped her finger against her lip and stared at her sister.

"No dummy, it's H-I-G-H, the g and the h are silent." Zorella chimed in from her spot on the floor.

"Uh huh, I wish _you_ were silent too." Nuriyah mumbled somewhat loudly with a grin on her face. Zorella turned to stare at her. The youngest Jones looked up with an innocent smile and waved. "Zore, can you get me some juice?" She asked sweetly.

"No, but I'll get you some water." Zorella looked at Ameena and cocked her head to the side, "Are you thirsty too?" Ameena pushed up her glasses that were slipping down her nose.

"Yes please." The short haired girl pushed herself off of the ground and grabbed a cookie for her sisters and cups of water from the kitchen. Her parents were in there whispering about something, but immediately stopped when she entered.

"Hi baby," Her mother turned from the stove to look at her. Cossette Jones reached out and smoothed her hand over Zorella's hair. "You okay?"

"Yea Mama. Just getting the rugrats some snacks." She looked between her parents and was worried that something bad had happened. Knowing that her place was not to pry in grown folks business, she grabbed a newspaper from the counter and set it down in front of Nuriyah, once she had gone back into the living room, so that she wouldn't make a mess on the floor.

"Thank you." The younger sisters said in unison before they enjoyed their treat. Zorella had just managed to sit down when their mother and father walked into the living room. She looked up at her parents as they sat down on the couch across from them. A part of her wondered if they were going to get a divorce. It was unlikely, but possible.

Their father, Michael Jones, pat his knee. "I'm getting old, but there's room for one." Nuriyah jumped up quickly and sat on their dad's knee. "Alright my little women…" His eyes roamed over his two daughters on the floor and the one on his knee. "….Your mama and I have something to tell you guys."

"Are we getting a puppy?!" Ameena piped up in excitement.

"Nope, no puppy." Their mother laughed.

"A cat?" Nuriyah inquired from her spot on her dad's knee.

"Nah, no pets." Michael Jones laughed.

"Are we moving?" Zorella asked worriedly. "Can I live with Nakeisha and you guys can go?"

Their mother turned her head and gave Zorella slight side eye. "No and no….Nakeisha's family is crazy. The other day I caught her little brother just staring at me in the grocery store muttering redrum, I almost knocked him out with a watermelon and my shoe….Anyways we're off topic " she looked over at her husband and smiled. "You guys are going to have a little brother or sister!" She said excitedly. Zorella's jaw dropped as she stared at her parents in shock.

"Return to sender! Get that stork back, we didn't order a baby!" Nuriyah folded her arms across her chest in annoyance. "I already have two sisters, I don't want anymore. We already have a baby and her name is Nuriyah. Hmph." Michael Jones hugged the youngest child against his chest.

"A baby?! Really? I love it already!" Ameena squealed in delight. "I'm going to take them everywhere and dress them up and teach them the alphabet and how to read…." she rambled on.

"Well I'm charging double for babysitting, especially if that baby turns out to be another Nuri." Zorella chimed in and shook her head. "Mama ain't you a little old to have babies though?"

Cossette Jones shook her head. "Child, how old do you think I am?! Trust me when I say I'm still young enough to catch your running behind in this house any day." Their mother laughed. "If all else fails, I'm sending Nuri after you." Nuri clapped her hands in excitement.

"Woah woah ladies…"Their father smiled and laughed. "This is really happy news and trust me, no one is going to be replaced. Your mama and I love you all so much." He tickled Nuriyah's sides causing her to giggle.

"Well if we're replacing someone, can it be Nuriyah. We only need one baby for the family." Zorella laughed.

"Can we get a really big strong stork to take Zorella back to wherever she came from? Like the zoo." Nuriyah got a wicked gleam in her eyes. "Annnnnd she only wants more money so she can go out and have smoochie with Kevin." She said in a singsong voice as she slid off her fathers' knee to the ground. Zorella stared at her sister in shock. "She loves him."

"MAMA! SHE READ MY DIARY!" Zorella yelled.

"I told you I wanted to play Barbies and you told me to go read a book and you never said which book! So I read your book." Nuriyah flipped her bubble braid. Ameena moved out of the way and sat beside their mother. She knew what was coming even if her parents didn't.

"THAT'S IT!" Zorella screamed before lunging at her little sister.

"Lord have mercy," their mother sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose to ward away the building headache. "Michael, could you…" she pointed to the two girls rolling on the ground. Their father just shook his head.

"Just let them tire themselves out, they'll sleep good tonight." He smiled, but kept an eye on what was happening.

"That's true." Cossette looked at Ameena and pulled her in a close hug. She was happy to have her middle child be so calm at the moment. "Meena, are you excited about the bab—NURIYAH JONES! YOU GET YOUR SISTER OUT OF THAT CHOKEHOLD RIGHT NOW!" The younger sister released her older sister from the move. "Michael! You're supposed to be watching them! What were you waiting for? The kiss of death?" Their mother smacked his arm.

"I'm sorry…. I was just so shocked, it happened so fast." He stared at their youngest child. "I think we should put her in karate or something." Their father said in awe. "But no wrestling moves in this house young lady." They all looked at Nuriyah, who had a confused expression on her face. She sat their silently for a moment before spat a small tooth into her little hand. "What in the….?"

"Victory! This toof has been wobbly all day! Now I get some money from the toof ferry!" She flailed excitedly.

Zorella scowled at her younger sister. "I can knock out a few more if you really want! I wouldn't mind lending a hand." She was still in shock that she had lost a fight to a seven year old.

"No, I'm good. But fanks." Nuriyah answered sweetly. Their father stuck his leg between the siblings before round two started up. He gave them both a look that they knew better than to argue with.

"And don't think we didn't get the letter AND the phone call from your teacher today Miss Nuriyah." Their mother sighed and then laughed. "You better behave from now on."

Zorella looked at their mom as she fixed her hair. "Mama when's the baby due?" Cossette reached out and helped her older daughter with the parts of her hair that were sticking up that made her look like she had been electrocuted.

"In five months honey." Her mother smiled happily and rubbed her stomach.

Zorella nodded. "I wouldn't mind helping with the diapers and stuff and if you need a babysitter after school. I wouldn't charge too much." She smiled. It would be weird having a little brother or sister that would be thirteen years younger than her, but she loved her little sisters, even crazy Nuriyah and wouldn't mind a new sibling.

"And I'd help her all the time!" Ameena smiled and shared a look with her older sister. "I'm going to rock the baby to sleep and sing it lullabies and feed it too." She hopped up and down in her seat in excitement. Out of all the sisters, their parents knew that Ameena would be the most excited. They saw how she took care of Nuriyah when she was younger and could see that Ameena just simply loved small children.

Nuriyah sighed. "I'll let fem ride my bike a couple of times I guess. But if fey break it, fey bought it." She sighed, but then grinned when Zorella nudged her playfully with her shoulder. "Can we name it?"

"You guys want to name the baby?" Their dad asked in surprise and looked over at his wife with a smile. "Well that's a good idea. But you have to make sure that the baby has a really meaningful name." He grinned and Ameena looked at him in curiosity.

"What do you mean daddy?" She asked as she cuddled closer to their mother.

"Well each of you has a name that's really important and means something." He looked at Zorella and smiled. "When your mama and I saw how beautiful you were when you were born, we knew we wanted more babies like you. So your name in Italian means sister." He laughed. "We just didn't realise we would have three more." He looked over at Ameena and squinted his eyes. "Ameena means peaceful, we think."

"We know it means faithful and trustworthy too. But when you were born you hardly cried, you were such a peaceful baby. So we named you Ameena." Their mother smiled and kissed the top of Ameena's head.

"What about me?!" Nuriyah said in annoyance. "My name means cute right? Because I'm adorable." Their parents exchanged a look and tried not to laugh.

"Nuriyah we changed the spelling of your name a bit, but it means fire or flame." Nuriyah stared at her parents like they were dumb. "Unlike Ameena, you came out angry and hungry, like a fire! And…." Michael Jones reached down and pulled their youngest child into his lap. "You keep my legs warm like a fire, so the name is perfect for you." He played with her braids and tickled her nose.

Zorella looked at her sisters and smiled. "Okay, I get what you're saying. We'll come up with something we think is meaningful then."

"This baby is going to be so lucky to have three amazing, very different sisters like you." Their mother opened her free arm for Zorella to nestle in beside her.

"Hopefully fa baby will be cute like me and Meena." Nuriyah said with a grin, Zorella turned her head slowly to look at her youngest sister who began to laugh uncontrollably.

Ameena thought out loud, "Maybe we'll figure it out when the baby's born too." The other two sisters nodded. "Okay, yea, we'll name the baby when their born."

"Whatever name you choose will be beautiful, I know it." Their mother smiled into Zorella's hair.

—-

Five months passed and the sisters found themselves beside their mothers' hospital bed as they peered at the baby girl. She had the same doe eyes like them and their mother. The tiny baby stuck her fingers into her mouth as she slept.

"She's so cute." Ameena smiled and gently touched the baby's hand.

"Yea, because she didn't poop yet." Nuriyah laughed.

Zorella looked on in awe. "Mama, can I hold her?" Their mother reached over and gently placed the baby in her arms. Zorella lowered her head and smelled the baby's skin. It was a sweet smell that reminded her of powder.

Michael Jones rubbed the back of his neck. "Four daughters, oh boy. I'm going to have to get the shotguns ready pretty soon." He laughed with the doctor who stood with him in the corner. "That was a really fast delivery though, only two hours and she was here."

"Very fast, a lot faster than your other daughters if I recall." The doctor agreed as he looked on. "I'll let you enjoy your family moment Mr. Jones. Congratulations." He walked up to their mother and gently touched her shoulder. "Amazing job. Very fast, which I bet was nice." He chuckled quietly.

"Oh you don't know the half of it." She smiled back. He pat her shoulder and looked at the three older girls.

"You have some amazing help here Mrs. Jones." He winked at the girls and headed to the door. "I'll be back to check on everyone soon." With that he exited the room.

Their mother turned to look at her three other daughters and smiled.

"My babies, have you decided on a name for your sister." Zorella looked at Ameena who shrugged.

"Mercedes." Nuriyah supplied. Everyone turned to look at her. "A boy in my class said the best car in the world was a Mercedes and that it was super fast. And everyone keeps saying that word, so…Mercedes." She nodded and smiled at the baby. "Plus I'm the original baby, so I should name her." Everyone shared a look before they all smiled and shook their head. Michael Jones picked up Nuriyah and held her in his arms.

"Well then, it's decided." He kissed the baby's forehead. "Welcome to the family, Mercedes Jones."


	2. The Four Corners

_Disclaimer: We do not own Glee, nor are we affiliated with it in any way._

_This is a Samcedes fanfiction, which has been collaborated between theperfectinsanity and samcedeswannabe. However, it is not a samcedes centred story, so if that is not your preference, we could only encourage you to give it a chance, but we understand if you decide that this story isn't for you. Please enjoy, comment, and review when you have the time. Thank you._

_-theperfectinsanity and samcedewannabe_

* * *

_**Chapter 2: The Four Corners**_

_"Marcus Talley is staring at you"_

In her whole 13 years, those were the most glorious 7 words had ever been said to Mercedes Jones. Given, they hadn't been said, but written by her best friend Makayla in loopy 7th grade handwriting, folded into a note and sent sliding across the floor of English class. Nevertheless, they were glorious and Mercedes was beaming from ear to ear. Well, she was beaming inwardly. On the outside, she was trying her best to hide the excitement bubbling inside her by biting the inside of her cheeks. She chanced a glance over at Marcus and damn near peed her pants when he was looking in her direction. She gave him a sweet smile and then looked back down at the note MaKayla had thrown her way.

_Hell YES_, she thought. It hadn't been a week since she'd gotten her braces removed and she was already picking up guys. She licked across the surface that her braces had been a mere 7 days ago and got lost in thoughts of her tongue being Marcus'.

"Mercedes Jones!"

The young girl whipped her head around with baited breath, expecting to be chastised for passing notes in the middle of class. Instead, she was met with her teacher holding a post-it note, face fixed in an unreadable expression.

"You are needed in the front office. Please take all of you things." she stated simply. Mercedes released the breath she had been holding in relief and began to gather her things. Maybe her mom really had decided to let her begin her Spring Break a whole two days early as Mercedes had suggested at the breakfast table earlier that morning. As she made her way down the hall, she found herself with a little more pep in her step and humming a tune. Things were going pretty well. Marcus Talley had not only noticed her, but had smiled at her for 3.2 seconds…not that anyone was counting. Spring Break was the very next week, and here she was getting checked out of school a whole 4 hours early.

Her tune was soon cut short when she rounded the corner of the front office and was met with the sight of her sister and her ex-boyfriend, Aquae. They'd split up two years prior, after the birth of their son, Aquae Jr., but he'd never really left from the family. He seemed to be a permanent fixture, and none of the others seemed to mind. She didn't either. Aquae was a cool dude. She smiled up at them both and for the first time, noticed that something was off.

"Hey Nuri. Quae, what are you doing here?" She asked her sister, who had obviously been crying. "Is everything ok? Is Jr. alright?" Sure, her nephew got on her damned nerves sometimes and she made sure to tell him that whenever no adults were around, but she'd lose it if anything ever happened to him.

"Jr's fine, Mercy. We've come to take you home," was as all she said. Nuriyah, the sister who talked in movie theatres, church and in her sleep, was being cryptic and ambiguous. The same sister who had announced her pregnancy by walking into the house on Sunday dinner saying "I'm gonna be on Teen Mom! I'm pregnant! I'm finally living my dream!" was now being secretive and tiptoeing around something that was obviously serious.

"Then…what it is? Nuri, why are you so upset? And why is Quae here with you?" Mercy had always been the youngest, but she had never truly felt like a baby until that instance. She knew her older sister was keeping something from her.

"We…We've just gotta get you home, that's it". A string that wasn't quite meeting at the ends was now holding Nuriyah's composure together. Mercedes quickly got into the car, deciding not to ask any more questions for the time being.

The ride home was filled with Nuriyah pretending not to cry and Aquae alternating between looking at the road, Nuriyah and herself in the backseat. Mercedes attempted to calm her nearly panicked heart by telling herself that Nuriyah, although the toughest, was also the most dramatic sister of the bunch. Mercedes kept hope that this was just another one of her closest sister's theatrics. This was nothing more than a broken arm or fender bender. This was no biggie. Mom and Dad would've come for something serious.

She swallowed the saliva sitting thick on her tongue and looked down at the ring her daddy had gifted all the girls on the previous Christmas. The brick now sitting at the pit of her stomach had begun to clue her in that whatever was going on was bad. Really bad.

"Nuriyah" She called again, not recognizing the meek, scared voice that had escaped from her mouth.

"Hm?"

"Are you sure everything's fine?" She asked one final time, searching for a clue as to what was going on.

"We just need to get you home, Mercy. I'll explain everything there." She hadn't said yes. The worry that had been rising steadily since laying eyes on her sister in the school's front office was now close to bubbling out of her. Mercedes swallowed down the taste of bile at the back of her throat and closed her eyes for the rest of the ride home. It couldn't be THAT bad…could it?

They finally pulled up to the house and Mercy had time to survey that the whole family was there, except her mom and dad's car. "Nuriyah…where's mommy and daddy?" She asked accusingly, hearing a sob escape from her sister in the front seat. Obviously she was going to get nowhere with her sister so she turned her attention to the front seat.

"Quae..where are my parents?" She asked again.

"Hey, Cedes…why don't you head into the house. I think everyone else is in there. Me and your sis will be in shortly." He announced, completely avoiding her question. Aquae's smooth, calming voice that could usually calm the most hysterical of people was doing nothing to ease her concerns.

As she made her way out of the car and closer to the house, the feeling that something was terribly off followed her. Had her mom's flu from a few weeks ago gotten worse? Or maybe it was her daddy. His job as a police officer was often a dangerous one. Had something gone wrong? She continued through the possibilities as she stepped across the threshold of her home and caught sight of her two eldest sisters and her brother-in-law sitting beside one another on the sofa.

She cautiously made her way into the living room, quietly observing how sullen everyone appeared.

"Guys, what's going on?" Mercedes croaked, throat constricting with the oncoming of tears. She blinked back a tear, looking across the room at her two eldest sisters. No one said anything, although she hadn't really expected Meena, who had fallen apart in the arms of her husband, to answer her.

"Zore, which one is it? Who's hurt?" Mercedes asked. Zorella had always been real with her. She'd always been the one to treat her like her like a person and not just her baby sister. Zorella would tell her.

Zorella stared off into space at nothing in particular; knowing that even stealing one glance at her sister would result in her undoing. She needed to be strong through this because she was the oldest. She had her sisters to worry about, especially her youngest sister. Zorella had to be strong for them, even if it meant postponing her own grieving. The oldest sister took inhaled deeply before speaking.

"Come sit down, Mercy"

"No…I'm not sitting down..Tell Me." Her voice was so stern, the total opposite of what she experiencing inwardly.

"Mercedes, after dropping you off this morning, Mom and Dad were in a car accident. It was pretty bad. They were T-Boned and knocked into a median." The teenager felt her world come crumbling down in those few short seconds. Had she said that both were in car? And what did she mean by 'it WAS pretty bad'? Mercedes blinked rapidly, reminding herself to breathe.

"Ok…then why aren't we at the hospital? Are they ok? Are mom and dad going to be ok? Why aren't we there Zore?!" She had no idea which question she really wanted an answer for, but she was hoping that one of them was answered with good news.

Nuriyah and Aquae walked in finally with Nuriyah choosing not to sit with the others but to stand in the threshold between the living room and dining room with one arm holding tight at the other, right above the elbow. She looked weaker than young Mercedes had ever seen her sister look before, even immediately after having a baby.

"Zore? Nuriyah? Why aren't we at the hospital? Did Dad tell you guys to keep me here? Or was it mom?" Nobody would look at her and she was about to fucking lose her mind. She balled up her fists, feeling herself losing all composure. "JUST TELL ME, DAMMIT!" Mercedes screeched loudly, catching everyone in the house by surprise.

"Mercedes…Mom and Dad died at the hospital." Zore's hoarse voice finally answered. Saying the words out loud was something she'd been building herself up to do since she had heard it herself and it had all become too much. The eldest Jones quickly hid her fact in the palm of her hands as she strings that had been holding her together finally snapped.

Those were the last words Mercedes Jones heard before her whole entire world went black.

Black. A sea of black was what Mercedes saw when she looked around the church. All of her distant relatives and family friends were gathered at the church to celebrate the lives of her mother and father. As she looked to her immediate family, it seemed that they all had somebody to make this process just a little easier. She looked at her maternal grandparents sitting together, holding one another. They, along with her parents, had been the golden standard for what she imagined her marriage being in the future. They were loving and faithful to one another, being each other's strength in a time when nothing was REALLY enough to ease the pain.

They had asked her to come live with them in Illinois the night before. She hadn't known what to say. An orphan usually didn't have a choice. They went where they were sent. That's how she expected this whole process to go once the funeral was over and all the family left and the warm meals stopped being delivered by neighbors. Pretty soon, everyone would return back to their normal lives. Pretty soon she would be expected back at school…except she had nowhere to live.

Of course her grandparents had offered, but that would take her away from her home in New York. It would take her away from her school and her friends..and her sisters. "The Four Corners" as her daddy had always called them. She smiled at the nickname her father had given the foursome. He explained that they were like the four corners of a square; none of them could ever really meet in the middle on a topic, but when it counted, they all came together to make something big..something huge..something real.

Mercedes glanced over at her sisters and felt an overwhelming sense of regret at possibly having to leave them, but she understood that they all needed to live their lives without the burden of a teenager. Ameena, 24, and her husband of 2 years, Jung, were both teachers. They met when Meena traveled to South Korea to teach. She never brought back that souvenir that Mercy had asked for, but Jung was a nice consolation prize. He treated Meena like royalty, even though she had heard through the grapevine (which was actually her mama's phone conversation with her Aunt Janice) that Jung had once been a huge playboy. Ameena must have tamed those ways, though, because they were now trying to have a baby. That road had been bumpy though, as Ameena was having fertility issues. She knew that Ameena's huge heart would probably let her stay with her if she asked, but Mercy didn't want to intrude on Ameena and her husband.

Mercy shifted her view to the person sitting beside Ameena, Nuriyah. She could live with Nuriyah, she thought. They had been the closest in age, Nuriyah was 20 and Mercedes was 13. Additionally, she was the sister that Mercedes was around the most, having lived with her longer than Ameena and Zorella. Nevertheless, Nuriyah had a son. Aquae Jr. was 2 and a handful. She couldn't see herself burdening her sister any more. She smiled at the sight of Aquae comforting Nuriyah as she cried softly on his shoulder. Although the twosome hadn't been together in over 2 years, Aquae had been with Nuri and his son since they had received the news of her parent's death. Mercedes thought they looked like a family herself, but nobody had asked her.

Lastly, past Nuriyah and Quae was Zorella. The eldest. The one who had it all together at 26 years old. Zore had made all the arrangements and called all the shots. And she lost composure throughout the whole process. But, that was just the type of person she was. Mercedes guessed that's why she was such a successful career woman. Zorella was an attorney, doing whatever attorneys did 7 days a week. Mercedes loved Zorella, but she didn't really KNOW her like she knew the others. She figured Zore wouldn't want to deal with her. Hell, before the accident, she hadn't seen her in a couple of weeks.

Mercedes sighed and turned her attention back to the front, trying her best not to focus on the sad song being sung. She felt so alone. She felt like she had no place in the world.

She would probably have to get used to that feeling since she was an orphan now.

—

After the funeral, Mercedes was lying on the couch in her living room after her parents' funeral, scratching at stockings that covered her thighs. Her sisters had suggested that she go and get some rest which meant that they probably wanted to talk about things she wasn't supposed to hear. She had been lying there pretending to sleep for the past hour just to keep from being on the receiving end of the pitiful looks her sisters were sending. They'd been looking at her like that since the accident. Turning all their attention on her and how she was doing so they wouldn't have to worry about how THEY were doing, she presumed. Scratching at her stocking clad leg again, she made a choice to head upstairs and change into something more suitable for lounging. As she made her way upstairs, the sisters continued their conversation.

"So..nobody wants to move into the house?" Ameena clarified as everyone agreed. They would always love their parent's house and would probably never think of selling it, but at the moment it held too many memories.

"I'll be glad to have Mercy stay with me though, guys. I said it before and I stand by it." Nuriyah knew that she was probably closest to Mercedes out of the three sisters.

"Yeah, but Nuri, that is not realistic. You already have Jr." Ameena reminded,

Zorella followed in "And your condo is only two bedrooms….and you like doing those things when Jr. is with his dad. What are they called? Stripper Sundays? No Ma'am".

"Then what do you guys suggest?" questioned Nuriyah who was now slightly offended.

"Jung and I would love to take care of Mercy" Ameena suggested.

"Hell NO!' Nuriyah began. "Mercy would take advantage of your gullible ass. Have your ass thinking she was at the library and be somewhere riding on SOMEBODY'S magic school bus…no ma'am"

Nuri's outburst gained her a two pair of eyes being rolled to the heavens. Leave it to Nuriyah to be completely inappropriate at such a serious time.

"Although probably not for the same reasons, I agree with Nuri, Meena. You and Jung live the furthest away now. Plus, you guys are trying to start a family. A 13 year old isn't a walk in the park. " She started as the two sisters nodded in agreement. The sisters sat in silence for a few more seconds before Zore spoke again.

"I'm going to take Mercy home with me" She finally declared, looking both of her sisters square in the eye with determination. "I mean, I don't live as close as Nuri, and she would probably have to change schools, but I think it would be best. I'm the only person without a husband or kids, a family. I think it would be fun. I think I could handle it. No…No, I KNOW I could handle it. I should know. I helped with the both of you!" The exclamation got a chuckle out of all 3 sisters. However, the table quieted as each sister caught sight of Mercy descending the staircase, now dressed in a pair of cotton shorts and a day camp t-shirt from the previous summer.

"Hey Merce…" Ameena offered meekly.

None of them really knew how to address or what to say to the youngest Jones. Zore, Meena and Nuri knew that they had each other. It had always been those three against the world. They'd lived with one another and grown with one another. Mercedes, on the other hand, had lived most of her childhood with just her parents while the others were out living their lives. They knew how to comfort one another, but their baby sis was a totally different story.

Finally fed up with feeling like an outsider in matters, Mercedes ignored her sister's greeting, opting instead to inhale deeply and finally say what she had been feeling for the past week.

"I know you guys are in here talking about me…discussing where I should go. And I know that none of you probably want to deal with me. I'm the youngest. I'm 13 and hormonal and essentially the brat you guys have always said I am. I'm pretty sure I don't have a choice in the matter, but I just want to say that whoever I end up with, I promise not to inconvenience your life more than I already have" She finished, looking up at the oscillating ceiling fan and taking her bottom lip between her teeth to keep the determined tears from surfacing. Anything to keep from crying. Anything to let them know that she wouldn't be a burden. She wouldn't be trouble.

Mercedes' three older sisters sat at the kitchen table stunned at what they'd just heard. Nobody wanted her? That's what she thought?

"Mercedes…" Zorella began, but the youngest jones continued. Somehow speaking from someplace other than behind the mask had opened a floodgate of emotion. She had to get this out.

"No…I understand. I was mom and dad's mistake. There were you three and then came me…everyone's burden. I get that, you guys. And I know you all have lives" She croaked out, finally relinquishing control as the tears spilled from her eyes onto her appled cheeks. "Nuriyah, you've already got a kid. Meena, you want a baby, not a teenager. And Zore, you're the most successful person I know. I don't want to ruin your lives. And I'm sorry. I'm really sorry mommy and daddy died and left me here. I wish…I just wish I could've gone with them. Then I wouldn't have to be such a burden." She finished, now on the verge of hysterics. The sisters all rushed from their spots at the table to huddle around their youngest sister.

"Mercy! Don't you ever think that we don't want you" Ameena began, reaching the girl first and wrapping her arms around her lovingly.

"Mama, we love you. We WERE discussing where you would go, but we were arguing over who would get the honor of being your caretaker" Zorella added, kissing Mercy's forehead and wiping her tear-stained cheeks.

"She's being real, Merce. We all wanted you. Can you believe Zore told me I was disqualified because of my Stripper Sundays?!" Nuriyah offered, attempted to lighten the mood.

"Why would you guys want me? I'm a brat. You've all said it before." Mercedes sobbed out.

"Hell yeah, you're a brat. But you're OUR brat!" Nuriyah exclaimed, finally getting a small giggle out of Mercedes, despite the tears that were still streaming.

"Here…sit" Ameena offered, pulling out a seat for the young girl. The others each took a seat around the table as well. They allowed Mercedes to regain her composure before anybody elected to speak again. A few minutes later, Mercy sat expectantly, waiting for conversation to resume.

"Mercedes. I would like to take you home to live with me…but it's only if you want" Zorella bit her lip nervously as she waited on her sister's reaction.

"Really?" Mercedes question suspicious.

"Really" Zorella answered, nodding her head enthusiastically and smiling at the grin that appeared on her little sister's face.

The group experienced a beat of silence that was broken by Mercedes moments later.

"Guys…I'm scared."

"So am I" agreed Nuriyah.

"Me too" Ameena co-signed.

"Scared shitless" established Zorella. "But you know the one thing that is getting me through this?" she asked, not waiting on an answer. "You three. I guess dad was onto something when he called us his four corners, huh?"

Zorella then reached her hands out on both sides and grabbed one hand of the sister sitting on either side of her. In turn, Nuriyah and Ameena used their free hand to grab one of Mercy's hands. They all looked up to one another, hands joined around the table and smiled. For the first time since the death of their parents, things didn't seem so bad.

"Four Corners?" Ameena inquired energetically.

"Four Corners" cheered the Jones Sisters.

And the Four Corners they were.


	3. Who You Finna Try?

A collaborated fanfiction between Theimperfectinsanity and Samcedeswannabe, please review if you have the time, this is our first story together and any feedback is valuable feedback and thank you to those who have already followed and reviewed,we really appreciate the love and kindness. Thank you.

* * *

_**Chapter 3: Who you Finna Try?**_

Mercedes Jones held her fork in mid air as she watched her date floss his teeth at the restaurant table right in front of her. Her eyes widened as he stared down at the leftover food on the glossy, thin, white string that he had just pulled out from his teeth and watched him pop it back into his mouth. Feeling nauseous, she put down the fork that had her stuffed pasta at the end of it back on to her plate, and covered her eyes with her small hands. She was absolutely and utterly revolted.

"Shrimp?" The older man stated, "When did I eat shrimp?" She could hear him say as she refused to open her eyes and look at him any longer. "Oh shit, I had shrimp yesterday!" He laughed and she heard him pick up his fork and continue to eat. A shiver ran down her spine at the thought that he was going to store tonight's meal in another space of his teeth. She lowered her hands and placed them on the edge of the table. "You alright baby girl, you ain't eatin'" He said in between chews as pieces of meat flew out of his mouth and landed on the table. "I thought big girls liked to get they grub on, you know what I'm sayin'. Like ya'll can eat a whole rack of ribs and it's all aight with ya'll and I can get behind my big girls, naw mean?" She glared up into his face as he wiggled his eyebrows at her. He started to laugh and then choked on a bite he had been chewing, before he washed it down with his beer.

"Excuse me?" She asked slowly and deliberately as her eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. By instinct her hand moved over to her knife and her fingers brushed up against the handle. By her calculations, she was nineteen now and if she went to jail, she'd be out before she was at least fifty which would still give her ample time to enjoy the remainder of her life.

"I said..." He took another bite of his steak. "I can get behind the big ladies, you know, more cushion for my pushin, and let me tell you, my manhood ain't that big, but girl I know what to do with it, I'm a good dickin for your pickin'. And I seen what you be workin' with over there little girl." He leaned to the side to stare at her legs and then sat back up to flash a bright smile that consisted of four gold teeth. Mercedes began to laugh hysterically and smacked her hand on the table as her laughter shook through her body. Not knowing what she was laughing about, her date followed suit and laughed with her assuming that he had said something hilarious. Just as quickly as she began to laugh she stopped and stood up. She leaned forward and allowed herself to get as close to his face as she could stand.

Her voice lowered dangerously as she spoke. "Listen here you nasty ass Neanderthal who ain't got no job or common sense on what to do and what _not_ to do on a damn mother fuckin' date." She paused, "I don't want you, no damn woman wants you, and if a big girl wanted to sit on your ugly ass face, then she was probably trying to suffocate yo ass and failed to succeed." She growled. "I don't want you, so when I walk away, don't call me, don't try to contact me, move on with your life and learn how to talk to a woman." She threw her napkin at him and stood up. "Naw mean?" She mimicked him and grabbed her coat from the back of her chair before throwing up two fingers. "Deuces." She quickly walked away from him and towards the restaurant door.

"But baby! Who gon pay?!" He shouted after her. She rolled her eyes as she pushed open the door and walked outside into the cool night air. Grumbling and muttering expletives as she made her way to the corner before she hailed a cab. Stating her address to the cab driver, she leaned back in her seat, and closed her frustrated eyes. She pulled out her cell phone and sent a group text message to all of her sisters. Mercedes didn't have to wait longer than four minutes before her phone rang playing _Miss Celie's Blues_ from the 'Colour Purple.' She picked up and grumbled. "Why do ya'll keep doing this to me man? Like what have I seriously done to deserve this type of cruelty?" She could hear her sisters laughing on the other line and rolled her eyes. "It's not funny. Which one of your trifling asses set me up with a poor ass imitation of Lil Jon?"

"What did you do to that man Mercy, Jamal was alright before, you must have broke him or somethin'." Nuriyah spoke first and Mercedes should have known that she would be the one to set her up with the flossing psycho. Despite her sister now being an officer of the law, she never really had the greatest judgement call on people's characters. Mercedes had found this quite surprising considering that her sister was now twenty six and had ample time to get better at making better judgement calls.

"Um, no. He's lucky that I didn't kill him though, talking about how he likes big girls because they have more cushion and how he has a good picking for the dicking or some crap like that." Mercedes started to laugh as she replayed the events in her mind.

"Oh ...hell ...nah, WHO HE FINNA TRY, WHO HE FINNA TRY, WHO HE FINNA TRY, WHO HE FINNA TRY, I BET IT AIN'T ME, I BET IT AIN'T ME! AHHHH!" Nuriyah yelled into the phone causing Mercedes to pull it away from her ear and the cab driver looked back at her through the rear view mirror. She shrugged in embarrassment and slumped down lower in her seat.

"Nuriyah! Tone it down." Zorella spoke tiredly through the phone. "You're just speaking to us, you're not trying to reach the dead or something." Mercedes could hear Nuriyah kiss her teeth, but she ultimately settled down. "Mercy do you need one of us to get you? Are you still with him right now?" A smile spread across her face at her older sisters concern, but she shook her head no even though they couldn't see her. Sometimes Zorella acted more like Mercedes mother than her big sister and despite her still being single and having had no children of her own at the age of thirty two, she was pretty happy with her life. Working her way up to be a partner in her law firm and having to prove who she was in a sea of old white men placed a lot of stress on her plate, but she always managed to keep it together, and Mercedes could never recall hearing her complain.

"No, I'm alright. I caught a cab and I'll be home soon" She sighed into the phone and played with the hem of her skirt.

"Even if he was slightly insane, I'm really happy you took a risk and went out on a date Cedes. You really do deserve to move on from that old boyfriend of yours." Ameena spoke softly into the phone. Mercedes frowned at the mention of her ex boyfriend. "You deserve to find love like what I and Jung have and I think we can all agree to that." All of the sisters knew how much in love their thirty year old sister was in with her husband of eight years, but they could see the strain within their childless marriage. Mercedes always wondered how Ameena coped with spending every single day with children and never being able to have any of her own.

"Meena's right, you need to find a good man who will take care of you so that I can stop paying for your expensive ass. Which reminds me! You owe me twenty dollars because you went over in your texting again this month Mercedes. You need to stop texting boys your goodies, or whatever it is that you're doing that's costing twenty extra dollars." Zorella chimed in from her line of the phone.

"Preach it mama Z, the best thing you can do to get out from under Marcus' crusty old dick is to hop on a fresh new one, okay? And make sure he got money because if he ain't good in bed, least he can fill up yo closet and we all know how you love shoes and shit." Nuriyah laughed and Mercedes pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Um, hold the damn phone. First of all, I'm not under, beside, or hovering around Marcus' dick. We're done, he's moved on and I'm doing the same okay? Zore, I pay for my own shit, thank you very much and once summer comes around I will pay for my own damn phone bill alright? And Nuri, do not get me started with your ass, because if _anyone_ is still stuck on someone's dick, it's you and Aquafina, aight? You're still stuck to Quae like he's smothered all up in Elmers." Mercedes heard her eldest sisters cackling on the phone as she smiled triumphantly to herself.

"Heiffa, you just wait till I catch your behind." Nuriyah screeched into the phone. "And you witches cackling in the background, Imma get you too." They could hear a doorbell in the background and Nuriyah coughed. "None of ya'll are invited to stripper Sundays and if..." They heard a pause and muffled speech, "oh hey, yea Jr's in his room..."

"IS THAT QUAE?!" Mercedes, Ameena, and Zorella asked all at once laughing even harder at the irony. The cab stopped in front of her apartment building and she paid him well with a tip. She scooted out of the back seat and quickly gave the doorman a hug before waving goodbye and heading to the elevator.

"Get off my damn phone! I hate ya'll. Nah, I love you guys. I have to go, but we'll talk." Nuriyah laughed and they heard the click of her phone.

"I have to go too lovelies, Jay's sleeping beside me and I don't want to wake him up. He had a long day with the grade fives today. Something to do with someone putting glue in someone's hair, but anyways I loves you both. Bye." Ameena said quietly before the click of her ended call resounded in the youngest and oldest sisters' ears. Mercedes pulled out her key and unlocked the door, pushing it open to find her sister on the living room floor surrounded by a pile of files and papers. They smiled at each other before hanging up their phones at the same time.

Zorella cleared some space beside her on the ground allowing Mercedes to plop down beside her with a sigh. "Girl, was it that bad?" She raised an eyebrow, "And you know I was kidding about the phone bill right? But you do owe me twenty." Mercedes looked at her sister and rolled her eyes.

"Yea, yea I know. And yea, he was...so disgusting, like he flossed right at the table and found old food in his crusty ass teeth." She laughed at the absurdity of it all. "The only good thing is that he's probably doing dishes as we speak to pay for the meal. Let that be a lesson to him." She leaned her head against Zorella's shoulder and sighed. "Why can't I just meet someone...normal? Not perfect or anything like that, but just normal." Zorella leaned her head against Mercedes and smiled.

"Hun, we all wish for that sometimes. But you know what, being single isn't that bad you know." She shrugged, "You don't have to worry about hurting some man's feelings, or have him be jealous all the time. Or having expectations placed on you that you never agreed to." Mercedes felt sorry for her sister. She would never quite understand what had made her so opposed to love. "My man is my job and I'm always in control of him and we see each other all the time. Plus I have you three to look out for." Zorella laughed. Mercedes moved to stand up.

"Zore, we all love you. But soon, very soon, you're going to need another kind of love." Zorella's smile slightly fell and she looked down at her work and cleared her throat. "I have school in the morning, I'll see you for breakfast." Zorella nodded at her younger sister and forced a smile.

"Okay Mercy, see you."

* * *

After a slightly uncomfortable breakfast with Zorella, Mercedes left their apartment and headed downstairs. As usual she walked outside to greet Dwight, the doorman, as she had for the past six years. She hopped in front of him and put her fist out for props, he looked down at her with his deep blue eyes that crinkled at the sides. He put his hand into a fist and bumped it against hers.

"Potato," She said excitedly before she spread all of her fingers apart and the older gray haired man mimicked the action with a laugh.

"French fries." He replied as he chuckled jovially and gave her a warm smile and a quick hug. "Now, how are you Ms. Jones? You seemed like you were in a rush last night." Mercedes sighed and folded her arms across her chest as she lightly chewed on the skin of her bottom lip. "Uh oh, I know that look. Am I going to have to get my shotgun and chase after some boy for you?" He laughed and adjusted the hat on his head allowing her to see a few blonde strands threaded into the grays. Dwight was like the father she had lost less than a decade ago. From the very first day that all of the sisters had met him, they had formed a bond with the older man that was inseparable. If Mercedes knew that it was extremely cold on a specific day, she would make him a large thermos of hot chocolate with marshmallows and bring it down for him to enjoy.

She laughed and nodded. "Mhm, his name is Jamal and he has a tendency to be a complete and utter jackass. If you find him, by all means, get him good." Dwight frowned and shook his head. "I'm kidding, but it was a really horrendous date and I'd rather not relive it." She tugged on her purse and tightened her coat's belt around her waist.

"Well you know I think of you girls like you were my own daughters. So if you give me a picture of him and if he ever comes by I can make sure to escort him from the premises without even bothering you." Mercedes put her hand on the older man's shoulder and grinned.

"Trust me, he won't be coming around if he knows what's good for him. I'm pretty sure Nuri's going to mess him up as is." She checked the time on her phone and stuffed it into her pocket. "But if you can find some way to clone yourself into three men, one who's twenty, twenty seven, and thirty three. For the love of all that is good, please send them up to our apartment." Dwight laughed. "Alright I'm off, see you later." He tipped his hat to her and she scurried off to catch her subway to get to her University downtown. Once she had reached her destination, she ran towards her first lecture which she was already ten minutes late for, but wasn't worried because she knew her two best friends would save her a seat. She opened the door at the back of the room very quietly and scanned the room with her eyes before she spotted them in the corner, three rows down. When Miguel saw her, he moved his backpack from the seat between himself and Richy and winked at her. She quietly sat down and pulled her notebook out of her huge purse and dropped it to the ground.

Miguel Morais looked at her with his hazel eyes that were tinted with green and raised an inquisitive eyebrow. Mercedes looked at him from the corner of her eyes and looked at his long somewhat curly brown hair that slightly fell past his right eye. Richy Jackson, who was sitting on the other side of her, leaned forward to look at the both of them. His thick curly hair had been cut short with a fade in that went around his head. She pretended not to see his dark brown eyes fixated on her face and bit the end of her pen.

"Uh huh, I know you see us looking at you Miss Mercedes Jones." Mercedes sighed and leaned forward so that she could hear the professor more clearly. She jotted down notes as quickly as she could to signal her best friends that she wasn't in the mood to speak at the moment.

"It's cool Richy, we'll just leave her alone."Miguel laughed and continued to type his notes out on his laptop. Mercedes was about to tell him thank you when he continued to speak. "We'll ask her during break. No rush." She scowled and reached out to pinch him through the material of his sweater. "Ow! Isso realmente ferido.* Jeese man, your little fingers are like lobster claws or something." He rubbed at his arm and frowned at her. As she looked at him, she could see so much of his mother in his face that they could pass as fraternal twins. Miguel's mother who was Brazilian had come to the United States when she was nineteen and had married a man to get her citizenship there, but had accidentally gotten pregnant with Miguel which had never been the plan. The man who had brought her over tried to force her to get rid of the baby, but his mother had stood against it and declared that she was going to keep her child, whether he liked it or not. It turned out that his father really hadn't liked it all and had kicked both his mother and him out of his house the moment she had officially gained her citizenship. Miguel told Mercedes that when he had just started high school he used to see a man every day that looked more and more familiar to him. It turned out that for four years on that bus, Miguel had been staring at his father, the man who had never wanted him. When Mercedes asked him what went through his mind as he watched his own father, Miguel simply said that he felt bad for the man who looked so alone and out of place there. Every Sunday at church his mother and he prayed for the man who didn't want them and recently found out that he had died from Cancer. His new wife had been told to tell them that he had been sorry that he never had the nerve to speak to his son on the bus.

"You're supposed to be on my side Miguel, damn et tu Brute? Et tu! And don't be speaking Portugese to me because you know what that does to my loins." She laughed and he winked seductively to her.

"Se você não fosse meu melhor amigo, gostaria de fazer muito mais para você."* He whispered close to her ear and smiled. Mercedes couldn't fight the chill that ran down her spine as he spoke to her in his first language. Richy glared at them from the side and rolled his eyes.

"Since you're so in the mood to talk, you can start right now and tell me how that blind date went." He looked towards the board and scribbled some notes down in his binder. "I'm writing, but I'm listening." He smiled and Mercedes sighed before she retold them about all of the events from the night before. Richy and Miguel continued to exchange looks and both tried not to laugh at her pain.

"Shutup," she smacked Richy's arm. "Don't make me tell your granny that you're laughing at me. We all know that out of the three of us, I'm the favourite." Richy's eyes widened at the mention of his grandmother and he shook his head.

"That's low man, you don't go running off to someone's granny like that and talk shit." He laughed and Mercedes kissed her teeth. Richy's grandmother was the only person he had in his entire world. His parents had both been drug addicts, who had met and procreated through their struggles with narcotics. His father had overdosed before Richy was even born. With the help of his grandmother, his mother had cleaned up while she was pregnant with him and had stayed sober for three years. But it wasn't long before she succumbed to the habit and had simply disappeared one day. Two years later and a police officer at their door, they had found out that his mother had followed the same path of his father and had overdosed while she was on the streets. His grandmother had pretty much raised him from the very start and had taken him to the doctor for his severe asthma that had come as a result of his mothers' incessant drug use that she would slip into from time to time while pregnant with him. Despite his asthma, Richy desired to get into dance classes and with his grandmothers support and a puffer by his side, he managed to become the best of the best. His motivation to become the best choreographer known to man was to take care of his grandmother the way she had taken care of him his entire life. Mercedes called his grandmother granny, but Richy called her his mother and rightfully so. "I have to take mama to the grocery store after school anyways so if you want to snitch then you're welcome to come." Class had ended and the three friends gathered up their things and put them away.

"We need to do groceries for our place too, we're running out of toilet paper. I suspect that you're eating it because we're also running out of food." Miguel pointed to Richy who raised an eyebrow and squinted one eye.

"Maybe one of your girls has been eating it, because they don't look like they've seen real food in a long time." He rolled his eyes and slung his bag over his shoulder. "The other day one of them was walking around the apartment, but I couldn't see her until she looked at me dead on, she was so skinny every time she turned to the side I lost her." Miguel fake laughed and then glared at Richy. "Seriously though, can't you find a chick that can't be blown away with a sneeze?" Mercedes was happy she hadn't agreed to live with the boys when they had asked her that summer, she was sure that the three of them living under one roof would have been disastrous. It wasn't enough that they would get on each other's nerves, but considering that they were all psychology majors, the amount of psychoanalysing each other would have driven them mad.

"That is my cue to go considering that I'm not about to watch Miguel try to beat you with his shoe." She reached over and hugged her friends.

"Nah, I need someone to help with the rent, so he's safe...for now." Miguel grinned. "He's just lucky that I'm not talking about the dates his ass brings home. Eles são loucos."

"They ain't crazy! What you mean they crazy? Your ass is crazy!" Richy threw his hands up in the air and then playfully punched Miguel's arm.

"Why are you guys so abusive towards me damn, it's because I'm sexy right?" Miguel laughed.

Both Richy and Mercedes looked at each other. "Hell no!" They replied at the same time as Miguel rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, you guys love me."

Mercedes laughed and combed her fingers through her hair. "Yea yea, okay I really have to bounce, catch you guys for lunch." She turned to run to her next class which was her elective. Later that night she walked into her apartment and found her sister just standing in front of the kitchen sink with the water running. Mercedes stared at her for a moment and watched her sister stare at the blank wall in front of her as if she were in a trance.

"Zore?" She said quickly causing her older sister to jump back and shut off the water. Zorella placed her hand to her chest and started to breathe heavily.

"Mercedes! Don't just sneak up on me like that! What if I had a knife in my hands or something?" She shook her head and wiped her wet hands on the towel hanging from the stove.

"I called out your name when I came in...but you didn't hear me." Mercedes slowly pulled off her coat and looked at her sister with concern.

"Shit. I'm sorry, I didn't hear you. Just a lot of work on my mind you know?" She forced a smile and moved to hug her sister. "I'm sorry." Mercedes hugged her back tightly.

"It's cool. Let me make some hot chocolate and then catch somethin' dumb on Netflix. I think we need a mini girls night." Zorella pulled back from the hug and genuinely smiled.

"Sounds good little sis." She walked out into the living room and didn't notice Mercedes staring after her with a worried expression deeply etched over her face.

Translations:

*That really hurt.

* If you were not my best friend, I would do much more to you.


	4. Go Home, Roger!

Chapter 4- Go Home, Roger

"Jr, Please come pick this skateboard up out the floor before I trip over the damn thing and they find me not breathing like they found Mike!" Nuriyah's 8 year-old son was her pride an joy, but out of all the wonderful qualities he could've acquired from his mother, he had inherited her habit to leave thing lying around wherever he had dropped them, no matter how dangerous it was. And by "things", she meant everything.

The young mother huffed angrily and continued to answer the ringing door, but not before spotting her son's backpack and jacket strewn haphazardly in the foyer. "And WHAT did I tell you about leaving your coat and bag on the floor, Jr?! We have hooks by the door so you can hang that stuff up instead of slinging it around and having mommy trip on it. You do NOT have no maids around here!" She fussed on, finally making it to the door and pulling it open. She stopped momentarily, breath caught in her chest, to get a good glimpse of the sight standing before her. Aquae, still dressed in his scrubs, was standing at the door with his usual million dollar smile. Nuriyah would be lying if she didn't admit that his smile still did things to her.

"JR! Your dad is here!" She called, never taking her eyes off of her son's father.

It had been years since Nuriyah and Aquae had been romantically involved; yet there were still times in which she felt an inexplicable connection with a man. She had come to terms years ago that she would always feel undeniable sense of home with him. Although he hadn't been her first in EVERYTHING, he had been her first in everything that had counted. At 18 years old, Nuriyah had begun dating the sophisticated older guy as an act of rebellion towards her parents. He was mature and in college, and an ultimate "fuck you" to the guys who had come before him and proved themselves unworthy of anything that Nuri would and could be willing to offer. Aquae was the first guy to look past Nuriyah's "crazy" streak without trying to change who she was. Nuri suspected that their relationship would've probably lasted much longer than it had if it hadn't be for for Aquae's need to always be right and Nuri's desire to always prove him wrong. From the beginning, they'd always been a passionate couple, but when that passion turned tumultuous, both parties felt going their separate ways would be best.

"So where are you guys going tonight?" Quae, leaning his body onto the wall with his hands in his pockets, brought Nuri out of her thoughts. She swallowed hard at the way he was looking at her. It was like he could see through her…like he knew what she was going to say before she even said it.

"Nowhere, Roger's actually coming over to watch movies and cook me dinner," She answered truthfully, stopping to look suspiciously once Quae began to chuckle. "What?" She interrogated. "Nothing…I just figured…nothing. Nothing, Nuri." He finished, still unable to hide the glint in his eyes that told Nuriyah it was anything but nothing.

She glanced over, the corners of her mouth turning up involuntarily. "Don't start, Quae". Aquae pressed his index finger and thumb together and ran both digits around his pursed lips to signal that he would speak no more on the topic. She had never been one to let words go unspoken, and really wanted to hear what Quae had to say. Finally unable to resist, Nuriyah asked "Fine. What? What are you going to say?"

"NOTHING! You told me not to start, so I won't." His lips twitched as he fought the smile threatening to ruin his whole act. "But you started already, so go ahead" She challenged.

"Fine, I just never took you for the stay at home and watch movies type. Especially with a guy named Roger…Guess he's keeping your expectations low, though." Quae added in a throaty sound that sounded something like "cheap" but Nuri wasn't sure she heard correctly.

"Yeah, well I'm tired of going out and having to sit through bullshit movies and bullshit dinners..and bullshit men" She added in for good measure. "At least now, I can pull my gun out on him if he gets wrong and I don't have to worry about some civilian reporting me" She laughed dryly. Quae's signature smug ass grin made an appearance soon after and Nuri was just about to check his ass on it. Her oncoming rant was cut short by the footsteps of her excited 8 year-old son.

"Dad!" The young boy ran full speed ahead until he was standing directly in front of his father. Jr loved his dad. And Nuri was happy that he had a dad to love. Usually in situations when parents would split up, one parent would become jealous of the connection the child had with the other parent. Nuri and Aquae were the total opposite. They were just happy that Aquae Jr. was happy and healthy, no matter who he was happier to be with at the time.

"Wassup son?" Quae reached out and offered his fist to his son. Jr. bumped it with his fist and they both pulled back with fingers wiggling, making explosion noises. That had been their special handshake since Jr.'s first day of preschool and no matter how many times Nuri had tried to get in on the routine, she had always been met with the same response. "_No Girls Allowed_".

Shaking her head at the two guys, she reached down and put a hand on her son's shoulder.

"Hey! You'll be with him all weekend. I won't see you until Sunday night. Since I can't get in on the handshake, the least your lil butt can do is give me love!" The straight face she had been fighting to keep control over was soon covered in a broad smile as her son turned and gave her the biggest, tightest hug he had in him.

"I love you, ma" He declared into her shoulder.

"I love you too, Quae-J" Nuri called her son by her personal nickname for him as he pulled back and got a good look at her son's face. She really did miss him on the weekends that he was gone with his dad, no matter how junkie his ass was once he got back home. Nuriyah gave him a kiss on the forehead and ordered "You be good for your dad, and don't talk him into any more scary movies. I'm still mad at the last time. I didn't get sleep for almost a week fooling with you and that Chainsaw killer." This caused the whole family, or whatever they were, to giggle as Quae and Jr. made moves to leave.

At the same time that Aquae reached for the door, Nuriyah grabbed for the handle as well. Their hands met momentarily before both parents pulled away, but not before feeling it…the IT that neither could describe but felt anytime they were in the same room as one another. Nuri hid her face bashfully as Aquae smiled down at their son who had watched the encounter occur. He broke the silence with "Dad, I'm hungry".

"Welp, I guess that's our cue to go" Quae announced as he and his namesake exited the condo.

"See you guys later!" Nuri waved as her son and his father made their way to the car. "Bye, Ma!" Jr waved. "Have fun on your date!" Aquae called, flashing her one more of his epic smiles before getting into his car and started.

After watching them drive off, Nuriyah closed the door, leaning her back against it. "What the hell was THAT, Nuri?" She asked herself. Knowing that she had no answer, she exhaled deeply and headed up to her room to prepare for her date.

* * *

_Roger. Hell, he's just as boring as his name. And he's rude as hell! Look at him, picking as his teeth. That shit is gross. Nuriyah thought as she twirled her food around with her fork._

"What's wrong, you don't like it?" Roger's concerned expression almost made Nuriyah feel bad for contemplating doing bodily hard to him mere seconds earlier.

"No. Actually, it's great. I just don't have much of an appetite." Or at least that's what she said. What she was THINKING was _"I couldn't eat if I wanted to with you smacking and sloshing and chewing with your mouth all open. You would probably be able to hear my stomach grumbling if you weren't slurping on this shit like a fucking 3 year old. Jr. has better table manners than your rude, inconsiderate ass."_ Nuriyah grinned painfully as the voice in her head ranted on. She did her best to hide her utter disgust as she took a bite of the food and nodded in her date's direction.

If he noticed that anything was off, he was definitely wonderful at hiding it because Roger continued on, "Well I'm glad you like it. I got the recipe from my mom". Beaming proudly, he took another large bite that resulted in some of his food from his mouth back onto his plate. Nuriyah turned her mouth down in disgust, feeling her already empty stomach threaten to hollow completely. "Oh really?" Was the only answer she could come up with, willing herself to keep her eyes off of the pig across the table from her.

"Mhm. She cooks for me just about every night." _AWHHH Hell. A mama's boy._ She should've known he was off.

"You see your mom every day? Like visit her? Is she sick or something?" She tried to hide any signs of judgment in her voice, but from the defensive stance he immediately adopted, broadening his shoulder and inhaling deeply, she could tell that it had definitely still been in her tone.

"No..No I don't" Nuriyah gave a sigh of relief, before he continued on. At least he wasn't still living at home with his mom.

"I don't visit her daily because…Me and my mom…well..my mom and I… we live together." His declaration caused her to nearly choke on her wine. She had spoken too soon.

"You live with yo' mama?!" She exclaimed before she could stop herself. Oh, helllllll no. "Uhh..YES. What's wrong with that?! It saves on the rent and I get a home cooked meal every night." This man was really defending the fact that he was 30 years old and living with his mother.

"But what about privacy? What about having a place of your own? Is…is that why you wanted to cook here? Because your mom's at home?" Yeah, Nuri was probably overstepping all types of first date boundaries but she didn't even care at the moment

"You should be glad somebody's willing to date you. You're a woman who is an officer of the law! And you have a son. And don't think none of us remember the freak you used to be.

"EX-FUCKING-CUSE ME?!" No. She had to be hearing things. He did NOT just bring up her past, insult her job AND her son in the same breath."

"Get the fuck out of my house" She stated calmly, stroking the handle of the steak knife that was sitting on the napkin beside her plate. "Look Nuriyah, all I'm saying is that you should be more open. So what, I stay with my moms. I'll be good to you and I could be a good father for you kid..I'm sure he needs male atten…." His monologue was halted by Nuriyah's steak knife being pierced into the wooden table between two of Roger's fingers of his hand that lay flat beside his glass of tea.

"Maybe I wasn't clear the first time. Get the FUCK out of my house before I unload a round on your punk ass!" Nuriyah spewed. The NERVE of this dude. How dare he think he was doing her a favor. He was the boring jackass that still lived with his poor mama who was more than likely tired of washing his stankin ass draws on the daily. She glared at him through the slits that were her ass, as he gathered his things and grumbled "Man..the boys were right. Your ass is crazy." Without so much as a "Thanks For Not Killing Me", Roger exited stage left and all but sprinted to his car.

"THANK YA JESUS!" Nuri exclaimed, grabbing the whole bottle of wine from her kitchen table and heading to the living room to watch Martin reruns.

* * *

Nuriyah took a seat on the couch, tucking her feet under her body tightly as she waited for the voice on the other end of the phone. "Shouldn't you be on your date?" questioned a curious Aquae. "Yeah, yeah, yeah…I just forgot to tell you that Jr. left his inhaler here so you guys should probably swing by before soccer practice tomorrow to get it…" Nuriyah began. That probably should've been the end of the conversation, but she felt compelled to continue. "Plus, he was boring…and an asshole. He chewed with his mouth open…and lives with his mom. And was boring. Really boring. A really, really, boring asshole". She had every intention of carrying on, but Aquae cut her short with a hearty chuckle. "OKAY, Nuri. I get it." She could hear his smile through the receiver.

"I really don't understand why you keep putting yourself through this, Nuri. Especially with THESE dudes," Quae began his usually sermon after a few moments of silence.

"Because how am I going to find the man of my dreams to sweep me up and dick me down if I'm not looking? I gotta be open, Quae!" She argued, laughing at how honest the two of them could be with one another despite the romantic past that they shared.

"What if he's out there already? What if you're looking for the wrong thing? Looking past the right one?" He asked thoughtfully.

"If he's the one for me, he won't just let me keep looking past him." Nuriyah's retort must have struck a nerve with her son's father, because he cleared suddenly and she felt the air on the phone go still. She knew that whatever she had said had struck a nerve with Aquae. Nuriyah sighed heavily at the change that had taken place on the phone in mere seconds.

"Where's Jr.?" Was the only thing she could think to ask him.

"He went to bed a little over an hour ago. I think that's where I'm headed, too". That was meant to be her clue that the conversation was over. Nuriyah sighed in resignation.

"Well..have a good night" She tried not to sound as defeated as she felt. She hadn't meant to do whatever it is she did that had obviously been the wrong thing to do.

"I will." He replied. "And Nuri" he called right before hanging up the phone. "Hmm?"

"Just…keep your eyes open. Okay?" She had no idea what that meant

"Nuriyah, what the HECK are we watching?" Ameena asks, staring at the tv with an expression that was somewhere on the spectrum between disgust and utter amusement.

"BAPS!" Yelled Nuri from the kitchen, matter-of-factly. "BAPS?" Ameena's eyes were still glued to the tv. "What is…Is that Halle Berry with that blonde prom hair?"

Nuri appeared in the threshold between the kitchen and living room. "Yeah…BAPS. You know..BAPS? Halle berry's best movie TO DATE?"

"NO. I don't know this movie, but judging from what I'm seeing now, there are plenty of movies better than THIS one starring Halle Berry" Meena argued. "Like what?" came Nuri's challenge. "Like Catwoman, the X-Men series, Losing Isaiah, Jungle Fever, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, Boomerang –that's my personal favorite-, or Monster's Balls…you know, the one she won an ACADEMY AWARD FOR?!" Ameena finished with a smug expression meant to shut down the argument once and for all.

"I can't believe we grew up in the same household sometimes, Ameena. Wine?" She asks, before heading back into the kitchen to grab some snacks and drinks.

"No thanks" Meena answered, causing her sister to pause mid-stride and come back to the couch. Finally looking up from the spectacle that was Nuri's television, the unreadable expression on her younger's sister face caught her off guard. "What?" Nuri's accusing eyes bore into her more, causing her to look around, making sure she hand't missed something.

Nuri's eyes narrowed. Why was her sister acting so clueless? They knew each other, and they were the two sister who got together often and had wine. The only reason Ameen would turn down a glass was if…

"Are you pregnant, Meena?" Nuri interrogated, sensing she was on to something when she saw her sister's breath hitch.

"NO! I mean..no…maybe…probably not." Ameena fumbled before finally resolving to tell the honest to God truth. "I don't know, Nuri." Seeing how distressed her sister was caused Nuriyah's features to soften a bit. "What do you mean you don't know? You haven't taken a test?" Nuri asked like it was the easiest thing in the world. "It's not that simple, Nuriyah". But to Nuri it was and she told her as much. She was met with pretty adamant opposition on Ameena's end though.

"But what if it's positive and ends up like last time?" Her sister asked, avoiding her gaze. Last time? What did she mean last time…She had never been preg…

"Last time? Meena..you..?" Nuriyah couldn't even bring herself to speak the words. "When?" She hadn't realized that she had said it aloud until her sister answered next.

"A little less than a year ago. I was about 3 months in. One day we heard a heartbeat and the next week we couldn't. It happened that quick. That's the day Jay and I decided to stop trying." Her voice was level and her demeanor unshaken, but the hurt couldn't be hidden from her eyes. Nuriyah scooted over from her spot on the couch and grabbed onto her sister's hand. "Nuri, you have to promise not to tell anybody about the last time…or this one. Please. Nobody knows, not even Zore." Ameenah pleaded. "I won't tell a soul, Sis. Promise" And Nuriyah meant it. Ameena had always been the one who took up for Nuri and protected her. She was the smart one, the one who had encouraged Nuri to put all her drive and bossiness towards something constructive. She'd convinced Nuri to become an officer. The two sisters sat in comfortable silence until Ameena finally spoke.

"So how was your date?"

"Girl..awful. He was 2 words and a half-inch from losing his fucking hand, Meena. He was boring and sloppy and still lived with his mama! And had the nerve to say he was doing me a favor. I should've listened to Quae!" Nuri ranted.

"Oh reallyyyy?" Ameena eyed her younger sister carefully, unable to hide the smirk that was tugging at her lips. "What's that supposed to mean, Meena" Nuri pulled away from her sister's embrace to find her peering at her smugly. "It means that 'Oh really? You're taking dating advice from Quae, now? The man who wants you so bad, he can taste you at night?" Ameena teased.

Nuriyah scoffed at her sister and her idea that she and Quae had any connection other than co-parenting Jr. Of course, she would always have a special place in her heart for him, but they could never go back to being involved romantically. They were both firecrackers who were bound to cause an explosion with one another. "Meena, hang it up. There's nothing there. Quae and I ended a LONG time ago, and it was for the best. I just can't see us being together" She finished.

"Well you may not see the two of you together NOW, but just keep your eyes open," Nuriyah inhaled sharply before picking up her glass of wine and downing it. It was the second time in 24 hours that she had been told to keep her eyes open. If only she knew what she looking for…


	5. Baby Love, My Baby Love

_Trigger warning: Infertility issues_

_Corey's FC is Jesse Williams_

A/N: _A collaborated story by theperfectinsanity_ _and Samcedeswannabe_ , please review and let us know what you think so far. We realise that this is a different kind of story and your thoughts really encourage us to keep going. Thank you!

Ameena stared intently at the familiar box in her right hand as her left remained firmly planted on her flat stomach. Tired and sad eyes looked up at the mirror and stared at the unrecognizable reflection that gazed back at her. _Who was that woman? Could she even call herself that when she couldn't even have a child of her own? What kind of woman can't give her husband the one thing he wanted the most in the world?_ "Pitiful..." She whispered to her reflection which looked back at her in disgust. "You've been trying all this damn time...and you can't even do this one thing right..." Her eyes slowly welled up with fresh warm tears before she rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. She turned her head and looked at the cupboard that was full of the unused pregnancy tests that the couple had bought a few years ago when they had been eager to start a family. The days when she knew for sure that her husband loved her more than anything, but now she couldn't tell anymore, now she felt like she was just a barren burden that he was forced to carry. Her hands shook as she tried to open the box and fumbled with it until it clattered to the sink. Ameena grabbed the sides of the cold white porcelain, closed her eyes and lowered her head.

_"Jung! Jung!" She screamed as she ran through the hallway to their bedroom. Her startled husband rolled out of their bed, stubbed his toe on the night table, and ran to meet his wife in a panic. When he grabbed her in his arms, his gaze roamed over her face and saw that she was smiling._

_"Baby what?!" He said out of breath as he moved strands of hair out of her face. She grabbed his hand and placed it on the small bump that was now her stomach._

_"I swear I felt the baby move, I was just sitting down stairs and I sneezed and it felt like it jumped or something." She laughed excitedly. "I think I probably scared our little baby." Jung smiled warmly at her and kissed the tip of her nose._

_"Babe, the book said you won't feel the baby for at least three more weeks." She looked at him for a moment and he watched the smile fall from her face. "But...fuck the books what do they know!? My baby felt our baby and I can't wait to feel him move too. Well obviously not inside of me because that wouldn't make sense...but...never mind." He kissed her passionately on her lips and wrapped her up in his strong arms. She laughed wholeheartedly and gently rubbed his back._

_"You're lying but I love you for it." Ameena said softly and then pulled back to place a soft kiss to his lips. "And who said that our baby was a him, huh? It could very well be a little Ameena!" She poked his shoulder and he swayed his hips from side to side, moving against her._

_"I have a feeling it's going to be a little Jung Jr, call him Jay Jay for short." She shook her head and ran her fingers through his long straight black hair. "I love you Meena, so much." He spoke softly against her skin before kissing the curve of her ear._

_"I love you too." She grinned and placed her hand on the baby bump before kissing her husbands' cheek. A long yawn escaped her lips as they stood in the hallway together. Her husband swooped her up into his arms, causing her to squeal, and gently placed her on their bed. "But I'm not tired yet!" She protested with a laugh._

_"My babies need their sleep. Now get to it." He kissed her neck and slightly tickled her sides before pulling the comforter over her body. He rubbed her arms through the thick material and then kissed her forehead. She gazed at him as he smiled that shy smile at her and left the room without another word. Ever since they had met, she had known he would make an amazing father and she couldn't wait for that reality to come true._

_Later that night sharp shooting pains in her lower abdomen jolted her out of her sleep. She clutched at her stomach and let her hand slide between her legs to feel wetness. The tears fell from her eyes before she even had a chance to look at the blood that stained her fingers. She slid out of the bed and walked quietly to their bathroom where she was able to look down and see the blood that was covering her legs. A pained scream shook her body as she fell to her knees and held her stomach._

_"Nooooooooooooooooooo!" She screamed as she doubled over in pain. The sound of Jung running into the bathroom was drowned out by her crying as she rocked back and forth on her heels. He ran back into their bedroom, grabbed his phone, ran back to his wife, and dialed 9-1-1. His arm wrapped around her chest and he pressed her back against the front of his body, holding her tightly as they sat on the floor. The ambulance arrived fifteen minutes later and took the couple to the hospital. Ameena laid on the gurney numb and unseeing as she tried to hold herself together. Half an hour later, their doctor rushed in to see her curled up in the fetal position on her hospital bed with Jung lying behind her rubbing her back. He moved out from behind her and spoke to the doctor outside._

_"I...I don't...one minute she was okay, the baby was okay. You said there was a heartbeat and everything...I don't understand." His voice was shaky as he addressed the familiar man. "Why?! Why our baby huh?! Why?! Why?! WHAT HAVE WE DONE WRONG?! WE'RE GOOD PEOPLE!" He yelled out and the older man pulled the younger one into a firm hug and rocked him back and forth. "We just...want a family." He cried into the doctors chest._

_"Sometimes...bad things happen to good people Jung...I'm so sorry for you and Ameena, I'm so sorry." The doctor said soothingly and rubbed Jung's back. In the room Ameena stared off into the distance as she tried to drown out the sounds of her husbands' cries. Her hand touched her now empty stomach as hot tears trickled down her face at the loss of a baby she would never know._

She lifted her head and stared at her drenched face in the mirror before grabbing the box that had fallen into the sink. She pulled out the test and flung the box to the floor before she unbuttoned her pants and made her way to the toilet. After ten minutes of waiting, she stood up from her seat on the edge of the tub and stared down at the blue negative sign that stared back at her. Her lips briefly trembled before she snapped the test in half, threw it in the garbage, and knocked everything that was on the counter on to the floor. She grabbed a towel from the rack and screamed until her throat could take no more. Her body shook with sobs before she willed herself to calm down and wiped her eyes with the same towel. She picked everything up from the ground and neatly aligned them back where they had been before. After she washed her face, she noticed blood in the sink and looked at the cut that was on her hand. "Damn..." She muttered to herself as she grabbed a band-aid. Her tantrums had never gotten her cut before, she told herself she would have to be more careful next time. _Next time..._She narrowed her eyes at the thought and shook her head. "I'm done...I don't want any more next times." A feeling of nausea overwhelmed her and she quickly moved to the toilet to throw up. When she was done, she brushed her teeth and gargled before she looked around the bathroom and made sure that everything was back in place. With a long ragged sigh she turned off the light and headed to the living room to sit on her husbands' lap.

Jung tilted his head and looked up at her with a raised eyebrow as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "So...what's the verdict?" She looked into his eyes and saw the need there and it broke her heart. Shrugging she sighed and leaned her head against the side of his own.

"Not pregnant. Sorry hun." She could swear that she could hear the plop of his heart sinking into his stomach. "Maybe next time." He turned her face to look at him and studied her.

"How are you feeling baby?" His voice was low and smooth with a hint of his accent.

"I'm feeling good. No worries." She smiled widely and gave him a side hug before she slipped off of his lap and stood up. "This just means I can drink as much wine as my heart wishes and Nuri won't be a pain in my behind." She forced a laugh and sat down on the couch facing him.

"Meena...this time seemed really different though. Maybe the test was faulty, maybe we should still go see doctor M—"

"I don't want to see him and no the test wasn't faulty Jay, I'm just not pregnant." She picked at a piece of lint on her pants and looked up at him. "Jay...I don't want to go to the clinic anymore. It makes me feel uncomfortable to be there and I'm just...I'm done with it." His expression was unreadable as he stared back at her and then nodded.

"Okay. You don't have to go if you don't want to." He smiled and moved over to sit beside her. "How about we look into those adoption papers next week and see if we can bring a beautiful kiddie up in here." He kissed the side of her mouth and rubbed her hand. "You'll be such an amazing mom, since you're already such a wonderful wife." He kissed her. "And did I mention that you're also incredibly sexy." He was trying to push down the hurt that was dragging him down. Jung knew that she needed him to be positive for her and that's what he would be despite how he was feeling. It was coming to a point where he didn't want to touch her sometimes in fear of her getting pregnant and miscarrying again. He could never live with himself if he put her through that turmoil and was considering getting a vasectomy to put them both out of their miseries. Ameena forced a laugh and hugged him against her so that he couldn't see the hurt in her eyes. He had given up on her, he didn't want to try anymore, he just wanted to adopt and she couldn't help but feel like a complete and utter failure.

She closed her eyes and nestled her face against his neck, "Sounds like a plan babe...sounds like a plan."

* * *

"Mizzezz Jones" Ameena looked down to see her five year old student Timothy peering up at her from under long eyelashes. She smiled at him as she noticed that all of his front teeth were gone.

"Timothy, did you lose another tooth?" She moved down to her knees so that they were both at eye level. He beamed proudly at her and nodded.

"Uh huh, losts a big one last night cause my big brother Willie head butt me in the mouth by accident." Ameena laughed and shook her head. "But that's not what I gotta talk to you about." He whispered and leaned in close. "I think Alicia in the corner wet herself cause she smells like my baby brothers diaper...but you didn't hear it from me!" He giggled and pulled back to turn and look at the little girl who was picking her nose in the corner. Ameena tried her best not to laugh and simply nodded.

"My lips are sealed Mister Timothy, thank you for being a responsible member of this class." She smiled and the little boy gave her a salute before running off to play with the leggo with his friends. Ameena stood up and gently rubbed her lower back, she needed a vacation and soon. She looked around her classroom to make sure that the kids weren't doing anything that they weren't supposed to before she made her way over to Alicia. She took a glue stick from another little girl in the corner who was attempting to eat it. "Sylvia, what is classroom rule number 2?" The little girl stared blankly at her teacher and shrugged.

"I don't know, I don't know how to read yet!" She stated matter of factly. Ameena laughed and had to admit that the kid had a point.

"No eating things in the classroom that did not come from your lunch box." The little girl sighed and stuck her hand on her hip.

"I was just gonna taste it! I wasn't gonna eat it or nothin'." Ameena raised her eyebrow and the little girl skipped away to play with the classroom dolls. The teacher turned towards Alicia and smelled her before she even had a chance to get a look at her. She crouched down beside the blushing little girl and looked her over.

"Hey miss A...what's going on over here. Did you have a little accident today?" The little girl fixed her blue eyes on Ameena and slowly nodded. "Okay, well we're going to grab your extra clothes and head to the little girls room okay?" She smiled warmly at the small child and pat the top of her hand before she called her student teacher over to her. She stood up and moved out of Alicia's hearing range. "I'm going to take Alicia to the bathroom can you please keep an eye on the mini adults while I'm out?"

"Sure thing, I was thinking I could read a book to them today." He smiled at her and for the first time she really noticed that he had lovely pale green eyes. She couldn't help but stare at them as he spoke. "Ameena?" He called out and she snapped out of her focus and laughed.

"Sorry Corey, you just have some amazing eyes." She smiled and shook her head. He laughed and looked down at the floor in embarrassment. The younger man looked up at her and bit his lip before scratching the back of his neck.

"Well...thank you. That's very nice coming from you." He stuffed his hands into his pockets, looked her over, and then looked around. "Let me gather up the munchkins." Corey grinned at her and then started singing a gathering song that he had made up for the kids. They all stopped what they were doing and headed to the reading circle in the middle of the room. Ameena tried to figure out why he had looked at her like that, but pushed it from her mind as she moved back over to the blue eyed little girl and brought her down to the bathroom to get changed.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Ameena hopped out of her car and ran across the street to reach the little cafe a few steps away. She would have preferred to go home and just kick up her feet and relax, but she had promised Zorella that they would have some sisterly time and that was the only day that had worked out for the both of them. She donned her sunglasses as she hustled down the sidewalk and pushed them to the top of her head once she entered the busy place. A quick motion from the corner caught her eye and she smiled at her sister who looked as tired as she felt and was wearing a nice tailored grey suit. She looked down at her simple light blue blouse and grey dress pants and slightly felt a bit self conscious for a moment.

"Hey Zore." She smiled as her sister stood up to hug her tightly and kissed her cheek.

"Hey Meenie, how are you doing little sis?" Zorella grinned and plopped down into her chair. Ameena studied her face worriedly as she realised how much her sister had aged in such a short time.

"I should be asking you the same thing Zore...are you okay? You look a little off." She put her purse down on the side of the table and pulled her hair back into a bun. Zorella grabbed one of the menus that was on the table and scanned through the items.

"Yea, of course I am, I've just been juggling a lot of work lately and the pressure's definitely being placed on me." She shrugged. "I have so many cases that I need to review and one of them is actually going to hit the papers soon. It's a big case and I can't mess it up you know. I can't afford to do that when I'm so close..." She looked up. "Meena I'm so close to making it big, I can feel it." She gave a half smile and laughed. "Mama and dad would be happy if I made it."

Ameena shook her head and picked up her own menu. "Mama and dad would not be happy if you killed yourself trying to juggle all of this work Zore and you know that." She stared her sister squarely in the eye before she scanned the menu and realised that she had no appetite. She closed the menu and leaned back in the chair.

"I'm not going to kill myself juggling anything, I'm doing well, and you don't hear me complaining Meena." Zorella closed her own menu and sighed. "I doubt I'll make partner but I'm going to show those old rich white men that I'm definitely not someone they want to challenge and if anything ever happens to me we have Nuri to search their asses." She giggled and then a distant look came into her eyes. Ameena quietly looked at her and decided that something was definitely wrong and that she would need to get her other sisters to help her get to the bottom of things. Zorella snapped herself out of her thoughts and stared back at Ameena. "What's happening with you and Jay and you know...the whole baby situation? You guy's going to make me an aunty again?" She smiled warmly at her younger sister as a waitress came over to take their orders. Zorella ordered a BLT sandwich and Ameena just ordered a carrot muffin.

"Uh...we're just going to see where things go from here." She picked at a hangnail on her finger. "We're going to look into adoption next week, so that should be fun." Ameena forced a smile and shrugged. "I've seen a lot of those kids and they honestly need so much love and a home and ...Jay and I definitely have tons of love to give." For the first time in the conversation she had actually told the truth. She would love to adopt a child and planned to even if they had had their own, but the grim reality that she couldn't have children simply depressed her. Zorella leaned forward and touched her sisters' hand. Ameena fought the urge to shake it off and scream that she didn't need to be comforted, but instead she smiled and looked up.

"Meena...are you okay. I mean I know this must be hard for you guys. You've been trying for some time now." Zorella felt horrible for her sister. She knew that having a baby was what Ameena wanted more than anything, and she often felt selfish that she didn't share that enthusiasm with her. Zorella would like to have kids in the far away future, but it really wasn't what she would consider a priority in her life. She just didn't have time for a man or a child, her job was way too demanding for that. Plus, she had her sisters to look out for and that was more important than having a baby.

Ameena forced herself to laugh so that she wouldn't break down and cry. "Oh gosh Zorella! Don't be so dramatic woman, I'm fine. Jay and I are fine." She smiled. "God will give us a baby when he's good and ready, but right now I'm just a bit tired of trying so I'm not going to the clinic anymore for checkups and all of that." She looked out the window and watched a dog and its owner walk by. "Maybe we'll get a cat or dog or something. It really isn't a big deal." Their orders came and they silently picked at their food, both lost in their own pained thoughts.

Zorella nodded and took a bite of her sandwich. "You know you can always come and talk to me if you need to right? Like you know that I'll always support you no matter what happens." For a brief moment Ameena wondered if Nuri had opened her mouth and told their older sister about the miscarriage last year. "I mean if you guys decide to get a surrogate or something..." Ameena smiled and shook her head.

"No, I don't think I could handle watching another woman carry my baby inside of her. It'd be...I just wouldn't want that. I don't think Jay would either." She threw a piece of muffin at her sister and rolled her eyes. "Can we please stop talking about babies and talk about how you need to get a nice buff man into your life stat!" Ameena laughed and Zorella scowled at her as she wiped the crumbs off of her suit.

"This is the problem with women these days, why can't I be happy and independent? Why do I need some man to make everything right in my world?" She rolled her eyes. "I'm happy being by myself and I don't have time for some whiny man who will bitch and moan about me not making enough time for him and I really do not want to deal with all of that." She drank some of the apple juice that she had bought. "All I need to make me happy is to know that you three ladies are okay and happy."

Ameena sighed, leaned forward, and spoke quietly. "But what about your other needs Zore?" She wiggled her eyebrows and Zorella laughed at her sisters' child like ways.

"Trust me, I have all the cable television in the world to take care of all of that. Plus I'm so tired most nights that I don't need to take care of those needs. And take it from me, the biggest thrill I ever get happens when I win a case." She laughed. "That tides me over for months!"

"Months?!" Ameena's jaw dropped. "Man I went into the wrong profession." She smiled at her older sister and wrapped up her muffin in a napkin. Zorella studied her carefully for a moment and then tapped her fingers against the table.

"Not hungry?" She asked curiously.

"Not really, mostly tired and I have to head home and help Jung with dinner tonight." She stood up and gently touched her sisters' hand that was resting on the table. "Take care of yourself or at least get someone to take of you alright?" Zorella rolled her eyes and then smiled.

"Yea, yea, I'll be fine. Now you better take care of _yourself_ and keep your head up okay?" The oldest sister pat the hand that was on top of her own before Ameena nodded and grabbed her purse.

"I'm not worried, I'm fine. Don't worry about a thing." In the back of her mind, she wondered about how long she could keep lying to the people who she loved. When would she tell them that she felt like she was rotting from the inside out? Her body felt like a cemetery, full of corpses and no life, how the hell could she communicate that to anyone? She cleared her throat and slid the strap up her shoulder. With a quick wave to her sister, she turned around, left the cafe, and headed on home to her husband.


End file.
